8 Most Complicated Countries to Visit—and How to Cut Through the Red Tape

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Some tourist visa applications are easy—an Australian visa, for
example, can be acquired in a few minutes via the Internet.
Others, however, can take weeks, if not months to procure. The
following eight countries, including China, India, and Brazil,
are especially tricky to visit if you're a U.S. citizen. To ease
the process, we enlisted the help of an expert, Medhy Habimana,
director of operations for visa service
VisaHQ. Habimana walks us through how far in advance
you should begin the visa process, the amount of money you should
plan to pay for the paperwork, and what you can expect once you
arrive. While you can apply for visas closer to your trip than we
recommend, delaying may mean extra fees for expedited service.
But whatever you do, if you're planning a trip to one of these
destinations, call the embassy to verify the visa process before
you solidify your travel plans. Visa requirements change often,
and the last thing you want is to think that you're all set to
travel—only to find out that you're not. On the other hand, some
of these places are well worth the effort.

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Why Go: The urban energy of Mumbai and
Bollywood, the tiger reserves of Rajasthan, the elegance of the
Taj Mahal…India's allure is easy to understand.

Why It's Complicated: It's not that it's
difficult per se to get a visa in India—more than 8 million
Americans visit the country each year—it's more that the process
is time-consuming. If you're not expecting the lengthy
application exercise, the visa can come as a surprise—and
potentially delay your vacation.

What to Do: First, you need to apply to Travisa
Visa Outsourcing, the contractor that handles processing for the
Government of India. Travisa will let you know which embassy or
consulate has jurisdiction where you live. Then you
have to provide proof of residency, such as a photocopy of
your driver's license and of a major utility bill—water, gas,
or electric is OK; cable or cell phone is not. (Reach out to
your consulate to confirm the kind of paperwork they will
request as requirements change frequently.) And talk about
picky: Travisa Visa Outsourcing says on its website, "Do not
cut your driver's license copy down to a smaller size. Please
leave the copy on regular sized paper." If you don't submit a
copy, they will make a photocopy for you for $2.

Why Go: Russia is persnickety, but cultural
treasures like the Hermitage, the Bolshoi Ballet, and the
historic brick towers of the Kremlin make enduring the wearisome
visa process worthwhile.

Why It's Complicated: To begin with, you'll need
an invitation letter. Your sponsor can be a Russia-based hotel or
tour operator registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in
Russia. Alternatively, you can work with a visa agency such as
VisaHQ, Travisa, or A Briggs to get a letter. And securing a
letter is only the beginning. The U.S. State Department advises
you have someone who reads Russian check your visa before you
leave the U.S. to make sure it reflects your intended dates,
hotel, and activities. Once you get approval (in the form of a
voucher number), you need to deliver your visa application in
person (or hire a visa service to do so) at one of five consulate
offices in the U.S.

What to Do: The process takes time, so you
should "apply as early as you can," Habimana advises.
(The consulate will allow you to apply up to 60 days in advance
of your trip.) Once you get to Russia, don't overstay your
welcome (the duration of the Russian tourist visa cannot be
longer than one month). Do so, and you'll find yourself stuck in
Russia until a new visa is approved—a process that can take up to
20 days.

Why Go: Many a bucket list includes walking on
the Great Wall, embracing history at the Forbidden City, gasping
at the Terra Cotta Warriors, and exploring glorious Shanghai.

Why It's Complicated: China is not unfamiliar
with American visitors, so its visa process is pretty
straightforward but makes the list for both the detail required
on the application—expanded in January 2011 from two pages to
four—and a steep $130 fee.

What to Do: According to Habimana, you need
to list where you'll be staying in a time sequence, your
nationality and occupation, all your major family members along
with their nationality and occupation, and any countries you've
visited in the past year (plus the purpose of those visits).
Mailing your application is out of the question. Either you or
your visa rep (defined as "someone else or a travel/visa agent")
need to drop off your application at the embassy or consulate
that holds jurisdiction over the state where you live. There are
six consulates in the U.S. (you can find
them on the embassy's website) and
some are more convenient than others (if you live in Wyoming
or Montana, for example, you'll need to travel to D.C. to hand
over your application). Special permits are also required if
you want to go to certain regions, such as Tibet and other
remote areas. While the processing time is only four working
days, the visa application will be rejected if not filled out
correctly online.

Why Go: Rio de Janeiro being named site of the
2016 Olympics and the Christ the Redeemer Statue making the list
of New 7 Wonders of the World have helped boost Brazil's status
as a must-do tourism destination—as if the giant party that is
Carnival in Rio, the rain forests of the Amazon, and the amazing
Iguazú Falls weren't enough.

Why It's Complicated: When it comes to visas,
Brazil has a process made confusing by the fact that each of its
consular and visa-services offices around the U.S. can set their
own rules (you have to go to the office that covers the
jurisdiction where you live—the list is on the embassy's website). For
instance, the Los Angeles office, according Habimana, has been
known to ask married travelers making a solo trip to São Paulo
to provide a letter from their spouse saying it's OK for them
to make the journey. That rule doesn't apply in Atlanta, but
the Atlanta office is known as one of the
slowest—Habimana has seen visa processing take up to 24
working days there.

What to Do: First, call your consular office to
find out what their specific requirements are for procuring a
visa. Then give yourself at least a month to go through the
process. The Brazilian visa is also among the priciest—$140, plus
$20 if you don't present your application in person.

Why Go: Trekking the stunningly beautiful
Himalayas in Bhutan might sound like a dream come true—the
country's marketing slogan is "Happiness is a place"—but the
process for getting there is pretty involved.

Why It's Complicated: You need to go through a
licensed tour agency in Bhutan, and among other things you need
to prove you can afford to visit—all visitors commit to spending
a set daily minimum amount, currently $200. This money goes
toward accommodations, food, transportation, the overseas-agent
commission, and guide services (a requirement for Bhutan). Note:
On January 1, the rates are going up to $250 (for March to May,
September to November) and $200 (for January, February, June to
August, December). There are additional surcharges if you are
traveling solo ($40 per day) or as a couple ($30 per person per
day).

What to Do: Find a licensed tour agency that
will work with you to organize your trip and obtain your
visa—there is a directory at the Tourism Council of Bhutan
website. Once approved, you don't get a visa
stamp until you arrive in the country and pay $20.

Why Go: Iran has a big image problem, but it
also has remains of the Persian Empire, which once controlled
much of the Middle East and nearly conquered Greece. They include
the impressive ruins of Persepolis (a thriving city about 2,500
years ago and a UNESCO World Heritage Site); and stunning
architecture in the frenetic cities of Tehran and Isfahan, the
former capital of what was once Persia and one of the most
popular tourist destinations in the country today.

Why It's Complicated: It's not an easy place to
visit. Start with the fact that all U.S. citizens get
fingerprinted on entry. Add to that the U.S. State Department's
Travel Warning that advises against travel to Iran.

What to Do: If you still want to go, you need to
have a sponsor (an Iran-based travel agency, such as
Let's Go Iran, will do) and they need to get
approval for your visit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
in Iran, which issues a reference number that is then
forwarded with your visa application to the Iranian Interests
Section in Washington, D.C. Here's the kicker: Passport photos
for female travelers must adhere to Islamic dress code (you
need to cover your head and dress modestly). The process takes
a "very long time," according to Habimana. And even if you
follow all of the instructions and earn a visa, that doesn't
guarantee you'll gain entry. "Some U.S. citizen travelers with
valid visas have been refused entry at the border without
explanation," says the State Department.

Why Go: Fictional Borat may have put Kazakhstan
on the map, but it's actually the ninth-largest country in the
world by size and a place that combines Islamic, Western, and
Soviet culture into an unusual mix. Adventure seekers come for
the many mountains, which provide both trekking and skiing
opportunities. Others come to explore the nomadic past of the
Kazakhs and to see UNESCO World Heritage attractions, including
petroglyphs and nature reserves that are home to such species as
the rare Siberian white crane.

Why It's Complicated: When it comes to visas,
all the "Stans" can be tough, according to Habimana. For
Kazakhstan, for instance, you need to write a personal letter of
intent to the embassy in Washington, D.C., stating the purpose of
your trip, the places you plan to visit, and your dates.

What to Do: Follow the instructions on the
embassy's website, and apply
a month out from your trip (approval takes a couple of weeks).
While the government enacted new rules in 2010 to try to
simplify the process, what that means for tourists remains to
be seen. Fans of bureaucratic garble will appreciate the
official description of the changes, which are "aimed at
further liberalization and streamlining of Kazakhstan's visa
regime."

Why Go: The holy Muslim cities of Mecca, to
which all able Muslims must undertake a pilgrimage, and Medina
are the country's big tourist calling cards. There are other
sights of interest, too, including the ancient elaborately carved
tombs of Madain Saleh, Saudi Arabia's version of Petra (as in
Jordan, the temples at Madain Saleh were carved by the
Nabataeans).

Why It's Complicated: But good luck going to see
these amazing sites—Saudi Arabia discourages visits by U.S.
citizens and is currently not issuing standard tourist visas.

What to Do: The embassy will occasionally make
an exception for religious tourism, but you must apply through a
licensed U.S. travel agency representing the
consulate, and the prices are high ($500
to $600 per visa if you're approved). If you are visiting as a
business traveler, you need to have an invitation from a local
company you are doing business with and visas can take months
to process. Women visitors traveling alone need to be met by
sponsors at the airport or may face delays in entering the
country, according to the U.S. State Department. And
overstaying your welcome is also not looked upon kindly—go
beyond the dates on your visa, and you may face a $2,667 fine
and incarceration.